Arthur Miller, an Enemy of the People Essay

An Enemy of the People, depicts an intriguing playwright in which the differences of opinions between two cronys leads to a town revolution and the expulsion of one brother from the community. One brother, Dr. Stock cosmosn, believed the contamination of the water in the towns wellness watering hole was sufficient reasoning to be eject down. The other brother, whoreson Stockmann, took an opposing locating believing that the health watering place was the towns solely means to economic salvation, and that closing the spa would detrimentally affect the entire mess of the town.The town stood nookie Peter, and the town unbroken the spa and maintained its financial prosperity, season Dr. Stockmann was shunned and left feeling that the town he loved had chosen the wrong priorities and was non fulfilling the moral duty to preserve life. As Peter is the protagonist in this story, the disbelief to whether his actions were moral or immoral must(prenominal) be raised. The stance t hat this essay result take in answering this call into question is the Utilitarian standpoint described by John Stuart dweeb. Utilitarianism must be outlined if to be applied to this question.Before hoagy, Utilitarianism promoted the estimate of utility, or the promotion of pleasure oer pain. Pleasure is then described as a rapture that all people wish to achieve. John Stuart Mill goes farther to contri hardlye that some kinds of pleasures are more(prenominal) desir fitted and more valuable than others, therefore, the devotion of pleasures should be supposed to depend on quantity alone (Mill 162). Mill in addition argues that the consequences are more important than the intentions behind actions. Therefore, if the consequences are skilful then the motivations weart count.Complementing the principle of utility, the greatest goodness for the greatest number, Mills translation of happiness would dependableify the morality of Peter Stockmanns actions towards his brother. Peter Stockmann strongly matte up that closing the health spa would drastically affect the entire town that his family had worked so hard to build. In his soapbox to the clustering Peter says, we know what this town was without our Institute. We could however afford to keep the streets in condition. It was a dead, third-rate ham allow (Ibsen 90). Following with, at heart five years the n conform to of every man in this room lead be immensely greater, and someday we will be one of the richest and most beautiful indemnify towns in the world. Many good consequences come from a town that had nothing to a town with a beautiful and comfortable resort, these consequences include a higher exemplification of living, better education, and a higher team spirit with a new wizard haughtiness in the town. After realizing these consequences, the town will never want to go subscribe to the old ways. Just as Mill would do, Peter fights for the greater good of the nine.In doing so he is providing the greatest good for the greatest amount of people heedless if a a couple of(prenominal) people set about the risk of being injured from the colly water. Dr. Stockmann had good intentions to protect the people in his town, but by standing up against the pot he actually make more harm than if he would hit kept silent, these consequences include causing a revolution in the town, the town losing him as a doctor, his daughter getting fire from her job, and his son not being able to go back to school. Dr.Stockmann had good intentions, but the horrendous outcome makes his efforts immoral tally Mill. Peter Stockmann stick out a few to save many, whereas Dr. Stockmann wanted to potentially hurt many to save a few. Mill would conclude that Dr. Stockmann had to the duty to protect the health of humanity, but if he was not able to do so without keeping the happiness of society he should have let his duty go. Being raised with the political theory of treating your neighb or as you would treat yourself leaves me with a bitter taste in my let the cat out of the bag after arguing that Peter Stockmann was just in his course of actions.Family is family, and no matter how different views can become I do not agree in expulsing a family member. Democracy in society is a very controversial issue, because it brings up the question, are the decisions made by the volume the right decisions? Morally speaking the masses can be wrong. Like Dr. Stockmann said, was it morally right for the masses to crucify savior? The more the issue is confronted it almost makes sense that society is willing to hurt a few to save so many. I find this story very provoke because it brings up multiple issues.